Dan Crask: A Branding Pro Who Is Also A Realist

As Creative Director and Co-Founder of Brand Shepherd – a branding agency in the Cincinnati, Ohio area – I work alongside every account we serve; I am extremely hands-on.

Brand Shepherd is especially well suited to work with brands that make a tangible product, or CPG brands. Our guidance is at the center of why we are called Brand Shepherd. There is no shortage of great design talent available for hire, but without the right guidance, even the best design fails to persuade. By pairing brand guidance with smart, informed brand design, we get a true brand shepherd, and our clients enjoy success across all of their story-telling touch points.

I co-own Brand Shepherd with my wife, Andrea. We began as a part-time business in 2006, then in 2008 Brand Shepherd became my full-time interest. Our team is a flexible group of full-time independent contractors who work under my creative direction to produce masterfully crafted assets for the brands we serve.

Rapid-Fire Q&A

How would a brand benefit from working with you?Anyone who has worked with me would likely say that they value how much I listen up front, ask great questions, and only then, form a plan of action, then execute it with quality – usually over-delivering.

What’s your Meyers-Briggs personality type? I am anINTJ, and learning this about myself has done wonders to flex strengths, become aware of weaknesses, and truly know what ways I can best help people.

What’s your favorite season?Spring. I am a morning person, and springtime is the season where nature – and people – wake up from the winter slumber. Spring is nature’s morning, so it suits me well.

Do you have a favorite sports team? Yes! I am a lifelong Chicago sports fan, except for those dreaded White Sox. It’s all Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks.

What is your food weakness? To go along with the previous question, I’d have to say an Italian Beef from Portillo’s is something I can’t say “no” to.

Lastly: What’s up with that beard?!In Scotland’s Highlands is a tiny village called Crask; even has a little place called The Crask Inn where I hope to one day get a meal. My beard is orange/red, and I blame my Scottish blood for it.

Family Man

I am a father to 4 kids I didn’t know I could love as much as I do, and I place the highest of value on being present for them. My wife and I have been together for 15 years, married for 12 years, and have a unique relationship that pits two very strong-willed first-borns together with complimentary skillsets.

Early Career

Prior to starting Brand Shepherd, I was Senior Design Manager with BDG Creative where I handled myriad responsibilities surrounding our accounts, which were primarily CPG-centric. For most of my time with that branding agency, I was working on the Bosch Tools® brand, RotoZip®. I helped bring to life various RotoZip® product line extensions for Lowe’s®, The Home Depot®, and Menards®. In 2007, the agency I worked for changed ownership, and I opted to go out on my own, where I launched Brand Shepherd.

Prior to this, my career was composed of working for branding agencies in my home state of Illinois, wearing a lot of different hats.

Education

In 1999 I graduated with a B.A. from Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. During my studies, I majored in graphic design and commercial photography. I found that working as an assistant to many commercial photographers in the Chicagoland area exposed me to a lot of design shops. Over the years I’ve used my knowledge of photography to aid me as a designer. Cincinnati State is also where I have taught Design Principles and Digital Media Concepts off-and-on over the years.

Let’s Work Together

Fill out the form below so I can get a head start on what you want to do with your brand. I’ll be in touch, and we start working on improving your brand.